


Defective

by GlassRain



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Community: halfamoon, F/F, Femslash February, Gem Homeworld, One-Sided Attraction, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 13:55:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6081876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlassRain/pseuds/GlassRain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Homeworld angst.</p><p>The defective Pearl is so proud, knowing she belongs to the amazing Rose Quartz.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Defective

The Pearl has soft, pale-pink skin, framed by a sweep of coral-tinted hair. She wears a slight, nearly-sheer top, a pair of rosy pantaloons that make it look like she has hips, and long tights that turn her legs nearly white. A long lace-edged ribbon trails behind her when she walks.

Whenever possible, she walks at the side of Rose Quartz.

She was designed for Pink Diamond's string of Pearls, and in every aspect she looks like the others, except this: her Gem is deformed. An oval, instead of a perfect white sphere. When Pink Diamond inspected the new group, this Pearl was going to be harvested and recycled, until one of the Diamond's generals asked to have her.

From what the Pearl has picked up, everyone in the court was delighted. Maybe even a little relieved. Most high-ranking Quartzes get themselves a Pearl at some point, and Rose had certainly proven herself enough of a war hero to earn one, so the fact that she hadn't gone for it . . . well, some of the Gems wondered if Rose was okay. If she couldn't accept that she deserved it.

The whole idea makes the Pearl laugh when she thinks about it. Rose Quartz, having a crisis of confidence? Nobody who knows her -- like the Pearl does -- could think something so absurd.

Rose _radiates_ confidence. She is calm and self-assured, from the crown of her flowing pink curls to the hem of her billowing white skirts. Just by standing at her side, even a defective Pearl can hold her head high.

She holds Rose's sword for her when they're in court, the flowery hilt and gleaming blade fitting perfectly in the pink scabbard. Most of the Pearls from the Diamond's string don't get anything to hold, and they've stopped whispering about her by now, seeing how trusted she is and what a good job she does. Before a court appearance, the Pearl always takes a few extra hours to clean and polish the items, until every surface is perfectly smooth under her fingertips.

"You don't have to do that," says Rose one afternoon. "But I _want_ to!" says the Pearl, and when she explains how much it impresses the string, Rose doesn't bring it up again.

When they're at home, she takes Rose's calls, and answers the door for Rose's visitors. Most of the time she doesn't sit in on their meetings, but she can easily imagine them praising Rose's kindness and foresight. Who else would choose to take on such a rejected Pearl -- who else would guess that it would be able to do the same work as any other? Not even a Sapphire has tried it.

Some nights they go to parties or shows. The seats in the Quartz section are much too small for a Pearl to see from, so she sits in Rose's lap and watches the gorgeous digitally-simulated holodramas, or the official newsreels from the Diamonds, or the spectacle of a ballet. White Diamond has a string of pearls who do elaborate dances, holding each other and swirling in and out of multi-Pearl fusions. Their moves are breathtaking. Pearl is transfixed.

"Have you ever wanted to be part of a company like this?" asks Rose after a final curtain. "Oh, I couldn't possibly," laughs the Pearl -- someone like her would only interfere with the dancers' perfect symmetry! Besides, even if some Gem were to create a string formed wholly of defective Pearls, that Gem wouldn't be Rose -- she could never afford it -- which means this Pearl could only be part of it if Rose gave her away.

On her first interstellar voyage to one of the new Gem colony worlds, the Pearl learns the spacecraft's communication system as fast as she can, so she can do her usual role of answering Rose's communications. When Rose sees how quickly her Pearl picks it up, she asks if the Pearl would like to learn how to patch into the craft's other systems. How to interface with _everything_.

The Pearl is starstruck. Of course she does! Most Pearls are assigned to a single technical job, like answering calls or playing video, but they're designed to have the capacity for just about anything their owner might want.

Granted access under Rose's authority, she accesses the specs and the tutorials for everything on the ship. When she has no other specific duties to cover, she devours them, eyes glowing with the digital input. Sometimes she loses herself in elaborate daydreams, in which the rest of the crew has been poofed and the ship is on a collision course, sending everyone into a panic until a lone Pearl connects with the navigation system and steers them to safety. Everyone praises Rose for having such a clever, unusual backup system, and Rose gathers up her Pearl and thanks her for saving them all from being shattered . . . 

"Are you having fun?" asks Rose one day when Pearl is running a simulation of potential new engine designs. The Pearl beams: "How can I not be? I love doing things for you."

Rose . . . frowns.

Rose opens her mouth.

Rose grimaces.

"This is supposed to be for _you_ ," she says. "I don't need help with . . . the engines, or whatever else you're working on. I thought you might want to learn about it for yourself."

That . . . does not sound like it contradicts what the Pearl was trying to say. "I am. I do!" she protests. "All of this is fascinating! And I know you don't have assignments for me in these fields, at least not right now. But maybe someday you will . . . or something unexpected might happen, and my knowledge will be important. And then everyone will be so impressed with you, for having such a smart Pearl."

Rose Quartz gets down on one knee beside the Pearl's chair, so their faces are on the same level, and puts a broad hand over one of Pearl's slender ones. Her eyes are as black as the night sky. "Pearl . . . I'm sorry, I thought you knew. You're not _my_ Pearl."

The Pearl stares.

"You do things for me because you need someone to work for, that's all. You are _your own_ Pearl."

"Oh," says the Pearl slowly.

"Does that make sense? Do you understand?"

"Nobody owns me," says the Pearl, though she's very unsure, because this does not sound right. "I don't belong to any other Gem."

"That's right." Rose squeezes her hand, with a warm, heartbreaking smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have interrupted; that was rude. Go ahead and get back to your reading."

She leaves.

The Pearl squeezes her eyes shut and pauses the simulation. It's too much for her to process on top of everything else right now.

Rose . . . put her to work. That's all it ever was. This whole time, she was kidding herself into believing she was a Pearl that a high-ranking Quartz could be proud to own . . . and it turns out Rose never even properly claimed her.

She's such an idiot.

The Pearl gives herself as much time as she dares to wallow in the unexpected shock, then pulls herself together. If she isn't owned by anyone . . . and Rose is the only Gem who would deign to give her a job at all . . . then she has no protection against being harvested the moment Rose stops finding her useful. She needs to study harder than any other Pearl in history. Needs to do twice as much in half the time. Needs to show that she won't be arrogant enough to keep taking her own comfort and safety as rights instead of privileges.

The unclaimed Pearl puts the sim back on, and throws herself into her work.

**Author's Note:**

> Come be my friend on Tumblr, where I reblog a lot of SU and other pretty things: http://glassrain83.tumblr.com/


End file.
